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Asian Longhorned Beetle

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The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive insect that attacks and kills maple

and other hardwood trees. The insect grows inside trees and feeds on the living

tissues that carry nutrients. Trees cannot heal from the damage ALB causes.

Infested trees can become safety hazards since branches can drop and trees can

fall, especially during storms.
ALB most likely came to the United States hidden inside wood packaging material

from Asia long before wood packaging material regulations were enacted. ALB was

first found infesting trees in Brooklyn, NY, in August 1996. APHIS is working with

partners to eliminate infestations in central Long Island, NY; Worcester County, MA;

Clermont County, OH; and Charleston County, SC.

What To Look For

ALB can attack maple and hardwood trees anywhere. Check your trees for ALB and

the damage it causes. And please don't move firewood out of quarantined areas.

Here's what to look for:

Adult Insects (warmer months):

Black and white antennae that are longer than the insect’s body

Shiny, black body with white spots, about the size of an almond

Six legs and feet that can appear bluish in color

Tree Damage (year-round):

Round exit holes in tree trunks and branches about the size of a dime or

smaller

Egg sites that are oval or round wounds chewed into the bark, and you

may see sap weeping

Sawdust-like material called frass found on the ground around the tree or

on tree branches

Branches or limbs falling from an otherwise healthy-looking tree

Tunneling in the wood may be seen on fallen branches, cut wood, or

firewood

Leaves that may turn yellow prematurely or leaves with chewed veins

View our ALB image gallery in Flickr

How To Prevent This Pest
You can help stop the ALB by checking trees and reporting signs early. Limiting the

movement of ALB-host materials, such as firewood, keeps infestations from

spreading.

Report it: If you think you found a beetle or tree damage, report it by calling the

ALB hotline at 1-866-702-9938 or submitting an online report. Try to photograph the

ALB or tree damage. If you can, capture the beetle in a durable container and freeze

it, which helps preserve the insect for identification.

Reduce spread: If you live in an ALB quarantine area, please keep the tree-killing

pest from spreading. Follow State and Federal laws. Laws limit moving tree material

and untreated firewood in case ALB is inside.

How It Is Treated

Infested trees cannot be treated or saved. The only way to destroy the insect is to

remove the tree and either incinerate or chip the wood.

This is why regularly checking your trees, and reporting any suspicious damage or

the beetle, is so important. Early detection can save trees.

Report Signs of Asian Longhorned Beetles

If you think you've seen signs of this pest, immediately report it. Complete our

online form or contact plant health officials in your State.

Find your State plant regulatory official

Find your State plant health director

Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication

Current Status and Quarantine Information

APHIS and our State cooperators conduct surveys and eradication efforts in four

States: Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and South Carolina.
Quarantine Boundaries

Please see the ALB Regulated Areas Under Quarantine Information for actual road

boundaries.

Quarantine Maps

Federal Asian Longhorned Beetle Quarantine Interactive Map

Program Overview Map (1.34 MB)

Massachusetts: Worcester County Quarantine Map (623.8 KB)

New York: Central Long Island Quarantine Map (1.5 MB)

Ohio: Clermont County Quarantine Map (606.39 KB)

South Carolina: Charleston County Quarantine Map (1.01 MB)

APHIS' Response

APHIS takes actions to exclude and eradicate ALB as authorized by the Plant

Protection Act of 2000. To stop new ALB infestations from entering the United

States, APHIS regulates the import of wood packaging material, a known pathway for

the insect’s movement, through Title 7, section 319.40 of the Code of Federal

Regulations. All wood packaging material must be heat treated or fumigated before

being imported. To further exclude the ALB, all international passenger baggage,

cargo, packages, mail, and conveyances are subject to inspection when entering the

country.

APHIS works closely with Federal and State officials to detect and eradicate ALB

infestations. APHIS conducts surveys to:

Delimit the scope of the infestation

Establish the quarantine area

Determine that ALB has not spread outside the established quarantine area

and, if it has, to expand the quarantine area

Determine when to release an area from quarantine

Eradication

To declare eradication, a final round of negative survey is required, control activities

and all necessary secondary surveys have also been completed. Four years is the

minimum amount of time between an initial detection and a final survey cycle is
completed.

Regulatory Information

Federal ALB regulations can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations: 7 CFR

301.51. You can view periodic regulatory updates by browsing the eCFR for Title 7,

Subtitle B, Chapter III, Part 301, Subpart H and by viewing the Federal Orders in the

section below.

Regulated Areas

Regulations areas include Worcester County, MA; Nassau and Suffolk counties on

Long Island, NY; Clermont County, OH; and Charleston and Dorchester counties, SC.

ALB Quarantine Boundary Descriptions

Regulated Articles

The regulated articles for ALB include the following:

The Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) in any living stage of

development

Firewood from all hardwood species

All host material living, dead, cut, or fallen inclusive of nursery stock, logs,

green lumber, stumps, roots, branches, and debris of half inch or more in

diameter of the genera listed in Appendix 1

Regulated Establishments

Establishments operating in an ALB quarantine area must comply with all ALB

Federal and State regulations. Regulated establishments include:

Landscapers

Tree pruning companies

Tree removal companies

Land developers

Firewood dealers

Pallet distributors

Nurseries
Sanitation workers, as well as other municipal or community services and

associated contractors

Enforcement of Regulated Establishments

Regulated establishments must enter into a compliance agreement or obtain a

permit from an official inspector before moving any authorized ALB regulated article

out of a quarantine area. Regulated establishments are subject to penalties if they

are not under compliance and do not follow ALB regulations.

Nursery stock in the regulated area is subject to inspection. Any plant material found

infested with ALB must be chipped according to ALB regulations. Uninfested host

material in the nursery trade is allowed to leave the regulated area if accompanied

by a certification of inspection and the approved permits.

Trace Back Inspections and Trace Forward Inspections

When a new ALB infestation is confirmed, trace back inspections are conducted to

determine the possible source of the infestation. These inspections will begin at the

epicenter of the core area and work outward from there.

Trace forward inspections will be conducted to determine if infested host material

has been moved out of the regulated area. These inspections will start with the

regulated establishments located or conducting business within the regulated area.

Once these establishments are identified, the survey protocols used for the HighRisk Establishment survey will apply.

Quality Assurance

Regulatory officers will spot check the removal of ALB-positive host material to

ensure that contractual obligations are being met.

Federal Orders

Host List

April 27, 2015, Updated List of Regulated Articles for Asian Longhorned Beetle (

Anoplophora glabripennis)
New York

January 31, 2024, APHIS Removes Portions of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New

York, from the Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) Quarantine

Area

Information for Cooperators and Producers

Response Guidelines

Host List

Factsheet: South Carolina Quarantine (624.54 KB)

Replacement Tree Table

Questions and Answers: Removing Host Trees

Questions and Answers: Insecticide Treatments

Questions and Answers: Tree Inspections for Asian Longhorned Beetle (698.25

KB)

ALB Research

Bancroft, J. and M. T. Smith. 2005. Dispersal and influences on movement for

Anoplophora glabripennis calculated from individual mark-recapture.

Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 116:83-92.

Bulman, L. S., M. O. Kimberley, and P. D. Gadgil. 1999. Estimation of the

efficiency of pest detection surveys. New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science

29:102-115.

Dodds, K. J., H. M. Hull-Sanders, N. W. Siegert, and M. J. Bohne. 2014.

Colonization of three maple species by Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora

glabripennis, in two mixed hardwood forest stands. Insects 5:105-119.

Hu, J., S. Angeli, S. Schuetz, Y. Luo, and A. E. Hajek. 2009. Ecology and

management of exotic and endemic Asian longhorned beetle Anoplophora

glabripennis. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 11:359-375.

Peterson, A. T., R. Scachetti-Pereira, and W. W. Hargrove. 2004. Potential

geographic distribution of Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera:

Cerambycidae) in North America. American Midland Naturalist 151:170-178.

Poland, T. M., R. A. Haack, T. R. Petrice, D. L. Miller, L. S. Bauer, and R. Gao.

2006. Field evaluations of systemic insecticides for control of Anoplophora

glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in China. Journal of Economic

Entomology 99:383-392.
Smith, M. T., J. Bancroft, G. Li, R. Gao, and S. Teale. 2001. Dispersal of

Anoplophora glabripennis (Cerambycidae). Environmental Entomology 30:1036-

1040.

Smith, M. T., J. Bancroft, and J. Tropp. 2002. Age-specific fecundity of

Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) on three tree species

infested in the United States. Environmental Entomology 31:76-83.

Smith, M. T., P. C. Tobin, J. Bancroft, G. Li, and R. Gao. 2004. Dispersal and

spatiotemporal dynamics of Asian longhorned beetle (Coleoptera:

Cerambycidae) in China. Environmental Entomology 33:435-442.

Wang, B., V. C. Mastro, and W. H. McLane. 2000. Impacts of chipping on

surrogates for the longhorned beetle Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera:

Cerambycidae) in logs. Journal of Economic Entomology 93:1832-1836.

Reports and Assessments

View All Final Environmental Documents

August 2020, Asian Longhorned Beetle Program in Charleston, Dorchester and

Colleton Counties, South Carolina Draft Environmental Assessment

September 2015, Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program Final

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement

Record of Decision (March 24, 2016)

Questions?

Asian Longhorned Beetle Activities

If you have questions about program operations in your State, call your local office.

- Select a State - ▾

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National Policy Manager

If you have questions about national efforts to stop Asian longhorned beetles,

contact the national policy manager.

Kathryn Bronsky
National Policy Manager

Email: kathryn.e.bronsky@usda.gov

Phone: 301-851-2147

Asian Longhorned Beetle Contacts

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